Tractor mounted windrowing attachment



Oct. 13, 1953 A. E. PEAKE ETAL TRACTOR MOUNTED WINDROWING ATTACHMENT 5 Sheets-Sheec 1 Filed NOV. 2, 1948 Andrew E. Peake Peter Ten K/ey INVENTORS Oct. 13, 1953 A. E. PEAKE ET AL 3,554,983

TRACTOR MOUNTED WINDROWING ATTACHMENT Filed NOV. 2, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Andrew E. Peake Peier Ten may INVENTORS 1953 A. E. PEAKE ETAL TRACTOR MOUNTED WINDROWING ATTACHMENT 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 2, 1948 m3 I \mm 92 v ms S g om N 8v Q i I mm um I mm m! Q 8 O EH Ngu- O m5 :1 a w vv mw NQ If an r 1 R J m8 m R 0 e T. k m 0 V www. K m T m 8 AP I BY Oct. 13, 1953 A. E. PEAKE ETAL 2,654,983

TRACTOR MOUNTED WINDROWING ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 2, 1948 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Andrew E. Peake Peter Ten K/ey INVENTORS BY My? If M1 Oct. 13, 1953 PEAKE ETAL 2,654,983

Filed NOV. 2, 1948 Andrew E PeaX'e Peter Ten K/e y JNVENTORS BY @Mwbn.

Patented Oct. 13, 1953 TRACTOR MOUNTED WINDROWING ATTACHMENT Andrew E. Peake and Peter Ten Kley, Primghar, Iowa Application November 2, 1948, Serial No. 57,898

This invention comprises novel and useful improvements in a mounted windrower and more specifically pertains to a harvesting and windrowing attachment which may be removably mounted upon and driven by a conventional farm tractor.

The principal object of this invention is to provide a combined harvester and windrower which may be readily mounted upon or removed from a tractor of conventional design, and which may be operated and controlled from the power plant of said tractor.

An important feature of the invention resides in the provision of an attachment for farm tractors of the character set forth hereinbefore, which may be carried by and positioned upon a tractor in advance of the drivers seat thereof, and which Will extend laterally from the tractor in full and easy view of the operator of the same.

A still further feature of the invention consists in providing an attachment for farm tractors including a support frame which may be rigidly secured to the axle housings of a tractor on opposite sides thereof, and to which is hinged for vertical pivotal movement a carriage extending transverse and underneath the tractor.

A still further feature of the invention resides in the provision of control means whereby the carriage may be rocked or pivoted vertically upon a transversely extending axle by means of a hydraulic cylinder operated and controlled by the hydraulic power take-off of a tractor, together with manual adjusting means whereby the two ends of the carriage may be angularly adjusted independently of the power operating means for pivotally moving the carriage, to thereby impart an adjusted incline or tilt to the carriage to enable the device to be accommodated to various inclined surfaces and inequalities of the terrain over which the apparatus is employed.

A still further feature of the invention includes the provision of an attachment for tractors having a transversely extending sickle knife for cutting grain, a transversely extending reel mounted above the sickle knife for drawing the grain into the latter, a transversely extending endless conveyor in the rear of the sickle knife for collecting the grain mowed thereby and discharging the same in compact windrows at the side of the machine.

And a final important feature and object of the invention resides in providing an attachment for tractors which may be readily applied to various conventional forms of farm tractors, which may be secured thereto in a readily detachable manner with a minimum of bolts or fastening means,

4 Claims. (CI. 56-23) which will afford complete visibility of the attachment and its operation by the driver of the tractor without requiring the operator to turn or crane his head, which may be adjusted and manipulated with a minimum of effort by reason of the power operating controls of the same, and which shall be highly efficient for the purposes intended.

These, together with various ancillary features and objects of the invention which will later become apparent as the following description proceeds, are attained by this device, a preferred embodiment of which has been illustrated by way of example only in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of a tractor, taken from the left side thereof, and illustrating the invention applied thereto, the left driving wheel and a portion of the axle and axle housing being removed to show details of construction of the invention;

Figure 2 is a side elevational view from the other side of the tractor, the right driving wheel and a portion of the axle and axle housing being removed to show further details of construction;

Figure 3 is a rear elevational View with parts broken away of the tractor having the invention applied thereto;

Figure 4 is a top plan view of a tractor having the device applied thereto, parts being broken away to show further details of construction;

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the vertically pivoting carriage forming a part of the attachment;

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse sectional detail view on an enlarged scale taken substantially upon the plane of the section line E--B of Figure 2, and illustrating the hinge and operating axle of the carriage of the device, parts being broken away and shown in section; and,

Figure 7 is an enlarged view, partly in section, showing the hydraulic operating means for pivotally rocking or moving the carriage of the device.

Referring now more specifically to the accompanying drawings, wherein like numerals designate similar parts throughout the various views, there is disclosed a farm tractor of any known and conventional design, to which the attachment forming the subject of this invention has been incorporated. As will be understood, the invention itself may be readily applied to various standard types of farm tractors, it being merely necessary to vary the clamping means by which the attachment is detachably mounted and secured to the tractor, without varying the principles of construction and operation of the invention.

The tractor, indicated generally by the numeral 10 is provided with the customary axle housings 12 which are of substantially square cross section, with the drivers seat M, with a pair of power take-off pulleys I8 and I8, operated from the power plant I9 611 the tractoranyconventional manner, '--a-rid"-wi'th-*a* suitable hydraulic power take-off, not shown, and to which is secured the hydraulic control valve casing indicated by the numeral 20.

Referring primarily to Figures 1 and'2, it-w-ill be seen that the support frame of the attachment consists of a pair of brackets 224and242disposed at the left and right sides respectively of 'the tractor, one of these brackets =-comprising perpendicularly disposed vertical and horizontal members 26 and 28 which are joined iby adiagonal brace member 30 to form a triangular bracket. :the. other 6 of thesevbrackets comprising -identical*':member 2 6 2 8 rand 3 respectively. :iBracket 22::is removably. secured-'to.-.the:-.side"of the -wheelaxle housing 12 as by a clamping plate 4 32: ands-bolts '34 :and bracketd l is similarly-se- :cured by: clamping; plate- 32' .-and-. bolts :34. By .thisvmeans, the-pair; ofi brackets are: removably :buterigidlynclamped -:and-secured to the axle housings 1 2-:on. the front side thereof and-lat? op- -posite=-sidesnof the-.bodyof the tractor frame.

eJournalled between =and:11pon'the two :hori- 'izontal rmembersz28z and; 28; respectively of the support-brackets; 'by ibearlngs 36xand: 36 respectively, is a transverse rock shaft indicated generally 'sbynthe fnumerali38 which constitutes anzaxler'extending beneathithe body of the tractorsand :aupon which zisz pivotally :moun-ted a vertically-r rockablei carriage supporting the various *elements ofthe attachments.

As shown more clearly in Figures3;r- 4-a-ndi6, the axles 8 8: includes" a." rockable. F shaft A0 whicht ad- :jacentw one'zendi has iwelded :or otherwise r rigidly 'secured'thereto: a'rlever 42 toa-whoseropposi-te ends are bolted or otherwise rigidly secured-an. actuatingrleyere 44's and a :liftlever :46. :The: actuating lever- :44,: as shownzdn -Eigure:1,:isvpivotal1y connected as at 48 to a piston rod 50-:which:isjprovided with 'a pi'ston lpsee :Eigure 7, --slidably received: ima hydraulic cylinderi'SZrWhichis pivotallyomountedzzasiat? 54. upon: a; bracket 5 6': carried t-by: any: suitable spart: of-.:the-v framework! of the'tractorl 10.

As shown in Figure '7, the control valve casing :iis: provided withaai suitable:- oscillating- :01" rotarywalvesplugr-58 therein WhiQhLiSDDIOVldBd with lan operating lever? B 0' *which 1111845" :bercontrolled from sthegdashzof' the tractor?- as by :appush rod 62. =Th-is-yalve whichrmay .be 'of anytconventional design is intended .-.to selectivelyecontrol the iflowiofithe hydraulicpressure fluid fromr-the hydraulicpower takeeoffuof atractor, and-which isgdeliverdto. the valve casing..by .aahydraulic inletrand return conduit "6,4, and'from thence selectively passes byiiuid conduitsi66 and168 to the opposite ends of the hydraulic cylinder 52 to opposite'sidesbf the'piston 5|, for'selectively urging the piston'ineither direction as desired, to-thereby through the associated linkage; cause a 1 rocking movement "of the shaft M0 -of the *axle' 38.

As shown in lligures I and 6 one of the bearingsifi :of the axlez382has rigidly secured thereto laztoothedztquadrant:onsector plate :10. .An adjusting; sleeve--12 isrotatably mountedaupon the other :end-of the shaftfrom: the :end which carries the lever 42, and has rigidly secured there to a hand lever 14 provided with a hand grip portion 76 for operating the detent rod 18 which is urged as by a spring 80 into downward position for engaging the end of the detent rod 18 with selected teeth of the quadrant 10. Thus, it will be evident that the sleeve may be rotated 31113011 theishaft 40 and" secured in various angularly adjusted positions by means ofthe sector plate or quadrant 10 and the above mentioned rratchet teeth. At its other end, the sleeve 12 is ,providedwithalongitudinally extending lug or shoulder-"82 which is adapted to form an abutting stop for a similar shoulder 84 extending inwardly :-from a collar -86 rigidly carried by a stub axle sshaft section 88 which extends into and is jourmalleddnthesleeve 12, in alignment with the shaft 40. At its outer end, the section 88 has a rigidly attached lifting lever 80, which thus is angularly adjustable relative to the lift lever 46 and is ..-independently rotatable v01" :oscillatable with respect thereto for a purpose 'and-inrazrman- .nerto be subsequently. set forth.

"Awsubstantially L-shaped lift; lever or :arma82 .is: rigidly attached. to the arm? 9 0 shown inrEig- 'urerz. :The-pairof lifttarmsJB and-92--thus vertica'l-lyg'pivotthe' carriage under' the controlrof thezhydraulic actuator-52 ofithesaxle-ifleande the en'dsvof the-rcarriagex may' be: relatively inclined by the; lever 14 and itsfassociatedi mechanism.

The outer extremities of therlift arms fl and :46 tareypivotally connecfiedrto bracketsifl lby means-of" bolts orrpins 93 (Figure.- 1) extending through: apertures. 95 (Figure, 5 'ofcbm'cketsa' l4, oneof which :brackets is shown in: Figure 5rsecured to: the; pivotally: rockingvcarriage not the attachment; indicated generally by ltheznumeral 96. This carriage includes a suitable framework constructionywhichi at'rits: front endzis': provided 'with: a ssickleriknifei construction:indicatedzrgenerally by: the' numeral 98 and \whici'umaycbeeof knownrandconventional :designs and-Which: thus extends laterally from the-side ofithextracton arid .in front=of .theidrivers seat.

For operating the .reciprocatingtblademf :the sickle :knife; a pitman H10 isl connectediheretoin :anytsuitable: manner, a and is dournalled to La crank: pin 102, secured to amoperatingishaft'fll, suitably 'journalled'.upon?thelframeworkeof'zthe carriage; and which "is" further provided with a counten-balance I06 of any known-fdesign.

PAS:ShOWIlZIiiIl"Fig11IG l,.:thiS shaft i'ML-"ls connected. as: byianniversal joint 108' and telescopin' :zlongitudinal cextensible 7' but non-rotatable .shaftrmembers I I 0; and: I1 2,:anqzasecoridui1iversal joint H4pwith axdrivingishaft IIG'su'itabIy -journalled :beneath ther'support' frame (22 and 24,;and connected: ascby a: pulleyl and belt -drive I I8 with thepower take-off pulley i6 of"the tractor. iiThusg'thea'sickle :knife; is operated 'direc'tly fromnthetpower takeso'iT-"pf? the tractor and by means; ofiithe telescoping shaft asection. I I 0 r and |12,z4and the universal joint connections 1 08 and H 4, :the' sickle 'knifezisable to operate-despite'-pivotal adjustment of the carriage and consequently of 'the sickle knife.

iEXtBndiIlg forwardly Of-thefront portion-of thetcar'riage 86,:aresuitable 'shoes or runners 120, which as is customary in sickle knives, prevent the blades "from digging i into" the ground, and raise or -lower the isickle knives- -to conform t inequalities in' the terrain over -which"the knife travels.

:Further, journalled 'upon .thet'framework- 86 of the gcarriage is 1" a :transversely extending? shaft I22 upon which is mounted a reel having arms I24 and blades I26, see Figure 3. The shaft I22 and the reel are thus mounted on the forward end of the carriage, and above the sickle knives, whereby the reel during its rotation will serve to draw the standing grain against the sickle knives for cutting thereby. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the shaft I22 is provided with a gear I28 which is inmesh with a bevel gear E30 carried by a driving shaft I32 which is of square cross section and is thus longitudinally slidable and splined in the hub of the gear I30, the forward end of the shaft being connected as by universal joint I34 with a power shaft I36 which is again connected by a universal joint I38 with a driving shaft I40 which as shown in Figures 2 and 3 is provided with a pulley I42 connected by a belt I 44 with the above mentioned tractor power takeoff pulley I 8. Thus, the reel is independently and directly driven by the power take-off of the tractor, and is not affected in its operation by the raising or lowering or pivotal movement of the carriage.

To rigidly interconnect shafts I32 and I22 and support the same, an elongated support bar I33 is provided which is secured at one end to the frame of carriage 96. The support bar 233 extends parallel to shaft I32 and has its other end connected to the tractor Ill as by bracket I35 (Figure 4.). A sleeved bracket 53'! is mounted on the support bar I33 and includes a yoke Et secured to shaft I22. A pair of aligned bearing sleeves MI and I43 extend from the sleeve of bracket I31 and bearings I45 and t ll having square bores therein journal the square shaft I32 for rotation in the bearing sleeves IM and I43. The bearing sleeve and bearing construction for rotatably mounting polygonal shaped shafts is conventional as shown in Patent No.

2,290,074, issued to E. A. Santon on July 14,. 1942. Q

As shown more clearly in Figures 4 and 5, the carriage 96 is provided with a pair of spaced rolls I46 and I48 which extend between the front and rear edges of the carriage and over which is entrained a canvas belt we or other suitable endless conveyor. This conveyor is disposed immediately to the rear of the sickle knives and in a position for receiving the grain cut thereby, and is rotated in such a direction as to cause the grain falling upon the endless conveyor to be delivered and discharged outwardly from the tractor into a compact windrow whereby the same may be readily picked up by a pick-up device of a combine for threshing or the like.

For operating the endless conveyor, the roll I46 is provided with a pulley I52, and a flexible belt I 54 is entrained over the pulley I52 and over a similar pulley we, see Figure 3, which is journalled upon a stub axle I58 suitably mounted upon the carriage 36. A further pulley Itil on this stub axle is connected as by a belt I652 with a driving pulley its mounted upon the power shaft I 36. simultaneously operated by means of the shaft I36 from the power take-ofi pulley I3 of the tractor.

From the foregoing, it is felt that the construction and operation of the device will now be readily understood. The power take-off pulley I6 and I 8 of the tractor are operated through the usual control clutches or other control mechanism, and from these pulleys the sickle knives, and the reel and endless conveyor are actuated. It will be noticed that the shoes or runners I2il of the carriage will follow the contour of the Thus, the conveyor and the reel are ground, and thereby raise or lower the outer end of the laterally extending carriage and the mechanism carried thereby. This tilting of the carriage is permitted since the carriage is pivotally supported by the two lift arms or levers 4E and 32, and as set forth hereinbefore these arms are independently movable upon the axle 38. Thus, the carriage is able to incline or tilt in accordance with inequalities of the ground and to permit the carriage passing over any obstructions encountered upon travelling over the terrain.

It will be noted that this relative tilting of the carriage is effected by reason of the lost motion connection which may occur between the shoulders 82 and 84-.

Further, by suitable manipulation of the control valve lever I56, the hydraulic cylinder 52 and piston 5i may be suitably energized to cause a rocking of the axle 38, by means of pivotal movement of the arm 44, and this rocking movement will positively lift the lift arm 5, and the lift arm 92. However, the shoulder 82 on lug of the sleeve 12 may be adjusted by means of the sector plate Iii and the detent rod I3 mounted upon the sleeve I2, to so position the lug as to provide the adjustable stop for engagement by the shoulder 84 upon the shaft extension 88, to thereby provide an adjustable stop for limiting the lowering movement of the arm 92. It will thus be seen that by suitably adjusting the hand lever 14, the downward pivoting movement of the lift arm 92 may be regulated or adjusted, whereby the carriage and the sickle knives carried thereby may be adjusted at various angular inclinations as desired to accommodate the device to various degrees of slopes over which the machine travels.

From the foregoing, the obvious advantages of the construction and operation of this device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary.

Since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art after a consideration of the foregoing specification and accompanying drawings, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, but all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to falling within the scope of the appended claims.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a harvester attachment for a tractor, a support frame, attaching means connected to said support frame for mounting the same on a tractor, a carriage extending laterally from said support frame and being hinged thereto for vertical pivoting movement, a sickle knife mounted on the front of said carriage and being laterally offset from said support frame, a reel mounted on said carriage parallel to and spaced above said sickle knife, spaced parallel rollers mounted on said carriage to the rear of said sickle knife and being angularly related thereto, an endless conveyor belt entrained over said roilers for windrowing grain cut by the sickle knife, operating means mounted on said carriage and support frame effecting pivoting of said carriage operation or reel and said sickle knife, said support frame including spaced brackets, a rock shaft journaled on an extending between said brackets, lift levers rigidly secured to said rock shaft at opposite ends thereof, said carriage being pivotally connected to said lift levers whereby the carriage may be vertically pivoted by movement of the rock shaft.

2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said 

